The Election Commission is caught in a major controversy over allegations of irregularities against its head and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The poll body has three members – the other two being election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The latest controversy stems from a report that said Mr Sandhu and Mr Joshi were kept in the dark about various decisions taken by the Election Commission, a constitutional body. It further said that the two election commissioners objected to several of these decisions and even complained to the chief secretary.
The revelations have led to opposition leaders demanding resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the chief of one of the most trusted institutions in the country. They have been citing the dissent notes from the other two election commissioners and accusing Mr Kumar of violating the foundational principle of democracy . Opposition parties claim the two election commissioners had raised objection against the exercise, but that too was ignored. SIR is already a controversial exercise, with opposition parties accusing the CEC of manipulating the voter list to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during elections. Both the BJP and Election Commission have rejected these accusations. These reactions have led opposition parties to question the sanctity of the election process.
The BJP on Wednesday launched a strong attack on Congress and other opposition parties over their criticism of the Modi government concerning SIR and the functioning of the Election Commission and said no attempt is being made to “save any specific individual”, but the ruling party at the Centre is “trying to save India’s democracy”.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the Gen Z-led outfit, has warned of another protest at Jantar Mantar; its earlier protest forced the education minister to resign.
